


"I'm Split in Two"

by YaBoyGuzma3



Series: Hatchetfield:the series [1]
Category: Black Friday - Team StarKid, The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals - Team StarKid
Genre: F/M, Hatchetfield Universe, My First Work in This Fandom, Post-Apotheosis (The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals), Semi-Canonical Character, Semi-infected Paul
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-22
Updated: 2020-07-30
Packaged: 2021-03-03 22:46:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,238
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24863272
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YaBoyGuzma3/pseuds/YaBoyGuzma3
Summary: The Hive had made it to the mainland. The humans could do nothing. The apotheosis could begin worldwide. Right?Wiggly had caused World War 3. Humanity would go extinct. He could move on to other worlds. Right?Hatchetfield is doomed in every world that has ever been. Right?The Web which has binded the multiverse together is breaking. If someone had the ability, they could pull apart the millennia-old system. But to do that, you'd need to hate your situation entirely. But who in all the worlds holds something in complete repulsion?
Relationships: Lex Foster/Ethan Green, Paul Matthews/Emma Perkins
Series: Hatchetfield:the series [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1798966
Comments: 6
Kudos: 26





	1. Not Over Yet

Chapter 1: Not Over Yet

"Lex, I'll get you to California, Lex. Then you don't gotta cry so much no more."

The last remnants of strength in Ethan Green's body left him as he collapsed onto the floor of the Cineplex. His vision of Lex (and... was that Mr Houston?) slowly faded as he closed his eyes. There was a deafening silence that pinned him to the ground. He needed to get up, he had to, he had to find Lex, and Hannah, before they got hurt...but he was aching all over. He moved his tongue slowly around his teeth, tasting nothing but blood. Even he, the idiot that he was, knew that he was hurt. But what could he do? He didn't even have the strength to open his eyes. Time passed around him. Was...was this what dying was like? 

Before he could consider this however, he felt a wind rush over him. Oddly enough, the howl seemed to have a tune to it. Then, again, silence. The boy then realised the force that seemed to pin him down had vanished somewhat. He opened his eyes, but it made no difference to what he saw: a void of nothingness. Slowly, and painfully, he pulled himself so he was sitting. Strange, Ethan thought, it felt like he was sitting in water. Wherever he now was, it was not the Cineplex. He decided to voice his opinion on this series of events:  
"This fucking sucks."

"Yeah." said a voice. Ethan twisted around, and regretted it instantly, pain striking him yet again. "W-what?" he stammered, surprised he could speak in this inky liquid.  
"I was agreeing with you. This does suck." The man was older than Ethan by a few years, with brown hair and a business suit, though in the light Ethan couldn't see if it was brown or black. But what made him start to back away were his eyes. They were blue. And glowing.  
"Woah , woah, I'm not gonna hurt you!" the man called out. He held out his hands. Ethan looked at him. Aside from the eyes, he didn't look all that intimidating.  
"Who are you? What do you want? Where am I?"  
The man put his hands down again. "I'm...passing through, and I need your help. That's why you're here, and not...y'know...not."

Ethan shuddered. He'd just been told he could have died, yet what confused him was the guy's voice. It was like a melody, and it put him off. "And where is 'here'?" he asked the man.  
He gestured around. "This is the black and white, friend." Ethan's eyes widened. 'Black and White'? Had Hannah's ramblings...meant something? The man continued. "it's the place where all the things beyond mortality make their home, existing between planes of reality. You know two of its denizens, Webby...and Wiggly."  
So there was something sinister behind that doll after all. But something occurred to him. "What about you?"  
"Me?" The man considered this for a moment. "I, uh... Just moved in, so to speak. But don't worry about me. That's not where your priorities should be." he said, almost singing the rhyme.

"Well, where should they be?!" Ethan yelled, his voice echoing in the darkness. The man smiled. A blue glow filled the place. "I have...an interest in your world. I need someone to act as an informant, for I fear Wiggly is setting his sights upon my home."  
Ethan was sure he'd sung that last part. "And if I don't wanna?"  
The man stepped forward. Strangely enough, he walked as if he wasn't submerged. "Then you can return to your lifeless body." he said with a smile.  
"A-Alright, I'll do it. I'll be ya...informer, or whatever."  
"Great. But don't think you're losing out here. I'm saving your life here."

A door appeared suddenly. "So, before we part ways, here's what I need you to do." He squatted down by Ethan, his sapphire eyes glancing over him. "I need to know about Wiggly. You being around others will allow me to collect information. But there's something else..." The man offered a hand to Ethan. Slowly, he took it, pulling himself up. "Going through that door, you'll be back in a restored body, able to see the ones you love again. All I'm really asking is this: if you see someone who looks exactly like me," he paused to point at his face, "befriend him then bring him to me. I'll tell you where to go. Understand?"

Ethan nodded. He cautiously stepped across the nothingness towards the door and grabbed the handle. "Um, thanks for savin' me."  
"No problem." he said, smiling, "Good luck, Ethan."  
The boy opened the door, and stepped through. The door slammed behind him, and disappeared.

The man in the suit sighed, and walked away smiling. A woman came up to him out of seemingly nowhere.  
"Mr. Matthews, is everything ready?"  
"I think so, Melissa."  
"And what should I tell-"  
"Tell her I'll be back at the normal time."  
"And what about-"  
"Melissa." the man stopped. His glowing eyes staring across the void at hers. "Don't worry about a thing." He raised his hands to the sky.  
"If Paul Matthews gets near this...do what I did to him!"

Silence filled the Black and White again.


	2. She Can't Get Away!

Chapter 2: She Can’t Get Away!

_**Earlier, and yet, simultaneously..**_.

Paul Matthews was backstage. He didn’t know where he was backstage, but a voice in his head was telling him that he was there. He tried to remember what had happened to him, how he had got here, but all he could think about was a voice singing in the background of where he was. He didn’t know why, but it sounded familiar. He knew that melody from somewhere, didn’t he? What was it... La, Di, da, da, DAYYY-OH GOD-

Everything that had happened hit Paul like a ten-ton lorry. The music, the zombies, the army, and...Emma. What had happened to Emma? Then there was a flash of white light. Paul had then decided to open his eyes.

Things were happening around him. He was in a white room with chairs and a kiosk. To his right, he could see vending machines by the far wall. To his left, a radio knocked onto the floor blasted out nothing but static. But that wasn’t the noise that caused him to stop in his tracks. He looked at what was in front of him. It was Emma. And she was _screaming_.

Paul felt his blood curdle as the voice echoed in the room. What was wrong? Why was she screaming? Why? For the life of him, Paul could not marshal his thoughts. It was like his senses were being kicked into overdrive. He desperately tried to find a crutch: Emma. If he could stop her screaming, he might calm down.

But how? Dear God, what was going on? He finally turned around. He was surprised to see people behind him. He was even more surprised to see that he knew them. Bill, Hidgens, Ted, Emma’s boss, Mr Davidson, and...some nurse? Then Ted, who Paul was sure had been killed, spoke up.

_“Wow, she can hit a high note, there’s now no need to showboat...”_

“Oh, shut it, Ted.” Paul heard himself say, stumbling towards the radio. The people behind him each wore a face of shock.  
“Paul?” They said at once. Paul looked at Emma. She was terrified, but at least she had stopped screaming. She was still wincing at the noise the radio made, however. Paul hadn’t even noticed it, but he grabbed a hold of it and tried turning the dial.  
“What’s wrong, Paul?” Hidgens asked, stepping forward. “Why did you stop? She which has evaded us for too long is in our grasp!” Paul just looked at the old man. What was he on about? He wasn’t part of them, he hated musicals, he-

He suddenly noticed Emma. She was crawling away from him. Not from them, but him. The familiar voice in his head suddenly returned, telling him to make her happy, make her part of us, but he couldn’t be part of this, could he? He didn’t like musicals, he’d destroyed the meteor, he-

Suddenly a voice blasted out of the radio, causing everyone in the room to flinch. It was much louder than the other adverts that had been playing on the radio, but that didn’t explain why the group in front of Paul looked absolutely _terrified._

“AHOY THERE BOYS AND GIRLS! HOP ABOARD THE SS WIGGLE, WE’RE SETTIN’ SAIL FOR GIGGLES! COME AWN, SNIGGLES!”

The formerly manically grinning horde were now fleeing the room. Paul remembered Charlotte pointing a gun at those cops and telling them to leave her alone. Poor Charlotte... 

“Paul, what are you doing? Turn it off! Turn it off!” Ted cried. Paul grabbed the radio and turned the volume all the way up. At this, the group began to clamber over each other to get out the room.  
 **“HE’S A WIGGLY SNIG, AND A SNIGGLY WIGGLY, A FWENDY WEND, WHO MAKES YOU GIGGLY!”**

Paul sat on the white floor. It suddenly dawned on him that he was in a hospital waiting room. Maybe they’d found him after the explosion, Paul thought to himself. “Hey, Emma, do y-

“ But Emma had already left. Paul could see a small trail of red dots leading to the other door. Blood. Oh Fuck, she’s hurt. Immediately he got to his feet and followed the trail out the door. “EMMA!” he yelled, as he ran through the winding corridors. It didn’t take long to find her, panting by a locked door. Then Paul saw her leg. Blood was pouring out of her bandage at an unhealthy rate.

_“Emma, your...your...”_

“S-stay away!” She cried, pushing herself against the back of the wall. “You’re not Paul!”

“What?” Paul didn’t get it. He wasn’t one of those zombies, they sang everything, they-

They were made to do things by the Hive. And then Paul heard the voice again. _Make her happy, Paul. You want her to be happy, don’t you? What’s wrong?_ She would be happy, wouldn’t she? But he, he...

This was too much. He couldn’t keep it all in his head. His eyes felt like they were on fire. He felt his arm move towards Emma. He grabbed a hold of it and pulled it back. The voice spoke again. _Paul,_ it said _, the others are coming._

It was right. Behind him, Ted was leading the others. “Don’t worry, my friend, we’ll make her sadness end.” Emma started to scream again. To Paul, it was torture. But something was happening. The voice was becoming stronger.

_They’re making her scream._

They are, aren’t they? I can’t let them.

_She is ours._

She is... What?

_They can’t have her._

Suddenly Paul realised where he knew the voice from. It was his own voice.

_“I won’t let you do this!”_ Paul suddenly sang. He shuddered. That was him and him alone. The others looked at him incredulously.

_“You’ve done well.”_ his voice said, _“Let me handle the rest.”_ He took one last look at Emma. She didn’t look as afraid as she had. He gave her a smile and promptly blacked out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As I said, since I'm new to this I probably won't have a regular upload schedule, but since I was having a creative streak I decided to write chapter 2! Please let me know what you thought! (Oh, and for any Ethan fans, don't worry, he'll be back...)


	3. When You Wake Up With Mud

Chapter 3: When You Wake Up With Mud

_**Later, but at the same time...** _

Ethan opened his eyes. He didn't feel submerged anymore. Nor did he feel any pain. He seemed to be back in the Cineplex, only the last time it was here he was sure it didn't have a hole in the ceiling, nor was it partially on fire. Standing up again, he wiped the blood from his face and staggered into the mall's plaza. Looking up, he saw a clock hanging above him. If he remembered correctly, it was big hand for the minute, and the little one...

Ethan took a step back. It was five past twelve. And judging by the stars he'd seen through the hole in the Cineplex, that meant it was Saturday. He sighed. They would have been on the way to California by now, if it weren't for those shoppers. Then again, if it weren't for that guy in the suit, he wouldn't be here full stop. He still had so many questions about who that guy was, but that could wait. He had to find the others, before-

Ethan was suddenly aware of someone else in the mall. He could hear panting coming from one of the wings. Creeping over to the charred remains of the Cinnabon, he saw it was a man in a long grey coat with a scarf and glasses. He was also covered in burn marks. He was speaking on the phone.

"Well, yes, Gerald, I suppose midway into a fire isn't the best time to reevaluate membership of a cult, but like any good lawyer I snuck away silently. Yes, I saw the missile. Oh, of course. The White House will be missed I'm sure, but about the will..."

"Hey!" Ethan poked his head out and walked towards the man in the scarf. He screamed.

"Ah! It's you! I'm sorry! Please don't seek revenge!" the man wailed. Of course, Ethan thought, he was one of the people who had almost beaten him to death. "No, I don't want revenge. I just need to find..."

The two ventured through the empty, blackened mall as Gary (Goldstein, attorney at law) filled Ethan in on what had happened. There was a woman named Linda who created a cult of Wiggly followers, in order to bring Wiggly into this world. Ethan suddenly realised that the inky void he had been in, the Black and White, must have been Wiggly's home. 

And now...now what? The man in the suit said Wiggly was setting his sights upon his world, but what kind of world birthed a man with glowing blue eyes, who sang every sentence? Then again, he wasn't dead, so he had to thank the man for that. But Gary also said he saw a missile fly overhead. Had Wiggly been behind that? Was there still a California to go to? There had to be, there-

He paused. There was a mound in one of the shops. Gary noticed it too, and crept behind Ethan. Slowly, the two tiptoed towards the heap. Coming closer, they saw that whoever it...was...had a large bright coat on. Ethan relaxed. There was no way Lex or Hannah would be in one of those.

"Th-that's Sherman..." Gary stammered, stepping to the side. "She always had lawsuits from angry parents. One every other month, at least..."

"I'm sorry," Ethan said, tiptoeing nearer. 

Something had fallen out of Sherman's pocket and was now just at his side. It was a fanny pack, and it had burst. What caught Ethan's attention was what was inside the pack: wads upon wads of 100 dollar bills. Slowly but surely, and trying not to vomit, Ethan plucked it from the old man's hand. He held it in his hands.

"Jesus...this is at least...a lot of dollars." he said to no one, for Gary was back on the phone.

"Don't worry, Gerald, we've just found money. Hey, can I ask, you're a businessman. D'ya reckon we'll still be using the ol' greenbacks in the wake of the apocalypse?"

Ethan looked at the lawyer, then back at the fanny pack. He'd said that Lex had burned the last Wiggly (and good on her) so they wouldn't have had the money, and here in front of him was more than 7,000 dollars (probably). This is one hell of a lucky streak, Ethan thought to himself. Would it bite him in the ass? He could worry about that later, he decided. None of that mattered if he couldn't find Lex in the first place.

Soon, the two were outside the mall. Most of the cars were left there, doors open. But what shocked Ethan was his view of Hatchetfield. The Lakeside Mall sat atop a small hill, so from the car park you could see an awful lot. None of the lights were on. Not even the lampposts. It reminded Ethan of that Black and White. Then, Gary caught up with him. 

"Pardon me, Mr Green, but Gerald has said I can crash with him considering...all of this. I think I'm gonna go...sorry for beating you up." 

With that, he set off. Ethan felt as alone as he had in that void. In fact, this all felt familiar. 

"Where could they be?" 

_"Would you like to know?"_

Ethan turned around. It was the man in the suit, although he looked slightly faded, as if out of focus. Yet his eyes still shone with a brilliant blue. 

"It's you...what do you want?" 

"To see how you're doing," he responded, stepping towards Ethan. "And to give you some pointers. How's the body?" 

"Good. Not bleeding to death, which is...only a plus. Wait, do you know where Lex and Hannah are? " 

"Yes. Are they why you looted that dead man?" 

Ethan took a step back. "Jeez, when ya put it like that... I just needed the money to get them to California."

The man raised his eyebrows, although it was barely visible. "Oh? How come California?" 

Ethan looked at the man. Why was he talking to this...thing? Why did this chump in a suit care so much? Yet, he felt...compelled...to answer him. "Lex is gonna be an actress." 

_"Oh? Is that so? "_ he sang, clearly enjoying the rhyme. 

_See?_ Ethan thought, _he's not so bad._

"With that raspy voice?" 

_Nevermind._ "WHY YOU-"

What happened next didn't entirely make sense. Ethan was sure he started running towards the man with his fist raised. Then there was a flash, and he was lying on concrete. Ethan winced as the man looked over him, his eyes almost popping out of their sockets. 

" _Seeing as I need you, I'm going to forgive you._ Now, Lex, Hannah and some others are staying in the only house with lights on in town. You'll...know it when you see it."

He stopped looking at Ethan, and stared at the town. "Wow, it's not been this quiet since..." he paused. "Well, you best be going. I'll contact you again if you come across anything." With that, he was gone. 

Ethan was getting tired of pulling himself to his feet. Yet this time, as he did so, he felt something drip from his nose to his upper lip. Was he bleeding? He put a hand up to his face. His eyes widened. His blood looked _blue_. Instinctively he wiped his hand on his jacket. Maybe it was a trick of the light, or lack thereof. Ethan hoped so. Turning around, he saw what the guy was talking about. Up on another hill was a mansion with its lights on. Ethan sighed. This was not how he had wanted Saturday to go. Taking a deep breath, he set off into the night. 


	4. But Let's Face It

Chapter 4: But Let's Face It

The sound of sirens filled the air when Paul awoke. He appeared to be in an alley, and the sirens were coming from a police car on the street to his left. Paul decided not to get up just yet. He didn't know how he'd react if he saw a cop after what happened last time. He looked down at his clothes. He frowned. The once spotless suit he had been wearing was now coated in blue shit, and Paul could even feel some in his hair.

What had happened? How long had it been since he was in the hospital? Where was Emma? And how had he got here? Paul peeked past the dumpster and saw that there were now soldiers in black uniform. PEIP agents. They were most likely after the Hive, which meant...

_You have to run. Now._

Instinctively, Paul began to creep out of the alley onto the right hand side street. He quickly looked behind him. None of the soldiers had noticed. Setting off down the road, he began to worry about the people looking at him. After all, he was covered in the unnatural blue shit,and if a soldier were to see him, they wouldn't think twice about blowing his brains out. But nobody said anything, so Paul kept on walking, trying to put some distance between him and PEIP. So he kept walking. So he started thinking.

....

 _Where are you?_  
What? What do you mean?  
 _You haven't bothered to check where you are._  
Well... I think I'm in Clivesdale.  
 _Oh? And how do you reckon that?_  
These streets. I sometimes drove Alice home when the buses weren't running.  
 _And you hadn't realised?_  
Well...I...have a lot on my mind right now, OK?!  
...  
 _That's not what I meant._  
What? You asked me where-  
 _No, no. You don't know where you are._  
I...what?  
 _Are you coming, or going? Are you already gone?_  
...  
 _You've never known where you were. You've just let things happen_.  
I just... Who even are you?! You're not me! You have my voice, sure, but you don't know anything about me! You're...  
 _One of them? I'm not singing, am I? Although..._  
Although?  
 _I could start singing_...  
No! No-

Paul felt himself slow, his eyes starting to burn again.  
 _I could start singing right now, about...well, anything, really._  
Paul tried to move towards another alley, but his legs felt like they were being restrained.  
 _But there's something, or rather, someone... I'd really like to sing about... It's what you want too, isn't it?_  
Paul stopped in his tracks.  
Emma.  
"Who are you?" Paul heard himself say under his breath.  
 _I'm what happened when you came to the Starlight, Paul. That part of you that you'd locked away, so that you'd never have to react to anything again._  
You're...but you're not like the...  
 _No. I am not. I share more with you than I do with them._  
How?  
 _We each have the same goal._  
The same goal?  
 _Yes. Go on, say it._  
I want Emma...to be safe. From those things.  
 _That's it Paul. We both want to stop the Hive from getting to Emma_.

Paul felt his legs relax. He made his way through the alley, and out on the other side. Down the road, he could see the PEIP agents, guns aimed at a shop with the windows broken.  
"Wait," Paul muttered as he crossed the road towards yet another alley. This one snaked around the back of the shops.  
"Why, why are we getting close to them?"  
 _Listen. We need to find Emma. So do the Hive. We follow the Hive, they find Emma, we find Emma_.  
And then?  
 _Then_...

Paul's eyes widened at the sight in front of him. The alley had grown darker, everything felt slower, and in front of Paul...was Paul.  
It was like looking in a mirror, except this Paul had glowing blue eyes. Paul knew them as the sign of an infected. Reflex took over as Paul put his hands to his own eyes. It didn't...seem like they were glowing , but...

"Paul." his doppelganger began,  
 _"I know you do not trust me,_  
 _but to the Hive I am an anomaly._  
 _They will not hesitate to remove me._  
 _As such, I ask you to trust me._  
 _I may not be you, but I share much with you._  
 _I want to find Emma. I really, really, do. Because...well,_  
 _Its not you I have to tell."_

Paul nodded. He knew. For the first time since waking up, for the first time in years, he knew what he wanted.  
"Any...questions?"  
"Just one. What should I call you?"  
The mirror image considered this.  
 _"You are the new, you are Paul._  
 _I am something else... I am Saul."_  
"Saul."  
"It's nice to meet you, Paul Matthews."  
The alley returned, yet the translucent reflection of Saul remained. Suddenly Paul heard voices from nearby. Quickly, he looked around the corner at the commotion. And, for some reason, he could feel someone else doing this too. Saul, he assumed. It was odd, like Paul was both where he was standing and where Saul was standing. Then there was a loud crash.

The door opened, and out came Emma, her leg still bleeding. Thankfully, the blood was still red. Out the door then came Ted, then the Professor, then Mr Davidson. Then, the PEIP agents, led by a woman who looked vaguely familiar.  
"Colonel Schaffer. She was the one I talked to when I was...pretending to be you." Saul said. His faded body darted closer, pausing near a dumpster. As soon as he got there, Paul could suddenly hear what they were saying:

"Alright, Perkins. Stay perfectly still. You're gonna be just fine."  
From where Paul was standing, Emma did not look fine. Looking at Saul, he didn't like the situation either. "What do we do?" he asked Paul, mouthing the words.  
Paul thought, and thought, until...  
"You should be able to keep away the Hive, which in turn will let me take Emma and run," Paul replied, gesturing at Ted and the others. "But..."he began.   
"What?" asked Saul.   
"Where could we go?"  
"Alice's house might be a good start. We might have to...comfort her mother regarding..."  
Paul didn't answer. The vision of Alice blasting Bill with the shotgun still stung his mind. He eyed the soldiers nervously. Had PEIP been ordered to make a clean sweep here?  
"Okay, let's do it." Paul pushed back his shirt and gazed at the watch McNamara had given him. It was almost 5 o'clock. "On my signal..."  
As the second hand fluttered towards the twelve, it occurred to Paul how many plans like this he had thought of while in Hatchetfield. Yet, he had never said anything. He hadn't wanted to be a hassle, or to make things worse. Yet he got Saul in on this. Was that just because he knew he was...him?  
Five seconds. This was his idea. It wasn't somebody else's, or something he was made to do, it was his. The pressure was devastating.

Yet, five o'clock came.

"Now!"  
Saul's ghostly figure scrambled towards the three infected, and began screeching what sounded like radio static. At this, their blue eyes shivered with fear, and fled down the alley. The PEIP agents followed suit, leaving Emma behind. Some protectors, Paul thought. Then something clicked in the recesses of his mind.  
 _"Paul, your plan worked!"_ Saul cried invisibly, showing a rare emotion for the blue reflection.  
But Paul didn't care. He was more focused on Emma.

She looked afraid. She looked so, so afraid. The plan was to grab her and leave, but Paul couldn't do that. So, he began to approach. Emma saw him almost immediately, and began backing away as she had done at the hospital.  
"No! Wait, Emma, it's me, Paul, I swear!"  
She stopped moving away, and gazed at him. Paul could tell she was looking at his eyes, which, thankfully, were no longer glowing blue.  
Finally, after all this time, she spoke.  
"Paul...it's really you, it is, oh fuck, it really is you."  
Paul let a smile cross his face. In the corner of his eye, Saul looked happy too.  
"Emma, we need to go. I don't know how long the Hive will be distrac-"

There was a loud bang from the other side of the road. The two (or rather, three) of them saw Ted's body tiptoe backward before crashing out of sight in the rubbish bags.  
"Come on, we need to move!" Paul held out his hand, realising too late that it was marked with blue shit. Yet, Emma took it nonetheless. He wrapped her arm around his shoulder, and they began to struggle away, Saul trying and failing to get Emma's other arm. Paul realised he would have to explain all this to Emma later on, but that could wait.

"Emma," said Paul, getting out onto the street, and turning off towards the houses, "I'm so glad I found you."  
"You're glad?" Emma smiled. "How the fuck do you think I feel?"  
Paul felt himself laugh. He'd done it. He'd got what he wanted.  
 _"Oh, Emmaaaa, ohhh..."_  
Paul winced. Saul seemed to be more overjoyed than both of them, for he had started humming as he bounced around Paul's mind. He was sure if Emma could hear him, he would have shut up by now. It was bizarre, seeing himself act in this way. Paul supposed that might be what was slightly off-putting about his counterpart. He didn't seem to have any anxiety about what he did. Was this the only reason he had gone along with the plan?

And,for that matter, he still didn't know how Saul had appeared. His very existence was a mystery. When they could stop and hide, it was another part of the long list of things that needed explaining.  
Then Paul realised something he'd felt like he was missing. Despite all of this, despite now having an invisible ally which sung every word, formed from his own mind...  
He still didn't like musicals.  
With a smile on his face, he and Emma hobbled on.

(***)

"Alright! We've got these two tranquilised! I think that's all of them!"  
"Are you sure? How many did the Colonel say there were?"  
"Whatever, we'll be doin' a clean sweep of this place later. Just get these to Xander so he can start his experiments."

A few feet away, in an alleyway surrounded by rotting food, a man in a beige suit with a moustache got up, wiped the blue blood on his hands on his shirt, and started towards the humming and singing he could hear. He smiled. Was he even trying to hide?  
"... You're fuckin' useless, Paul..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this one took so long, please enjoy and let me know what you thought nonetheless!


	5. A Labour Of Chemistry

Chapter 5: A Labour of Chemistry

Every street was empty, every house was silent, every light was off. For some reason, it shook Ethan to his core. He wasn't shaken by much, he could tell that something had caused Hatchetfield to grow silent. While a quiet town, there was always something happening. Ethan knew this, for he had lived there for all of his life. But this place, these roads that were only lit by the moon, they were completely unfamiliar.

He kept walking. It was this way, he was sure of it. The one house he had seen with lights on. It was up on a hill, and larger than most of the terraced flats he has gone past already. Ethan paused at the foot of the hill. Strangely, it seemed familiar to him. But that couldn't worry him now. He had to see Hannah and Lex again. His resolve increased at this thought, he practically bounded up the road towards the mansion. He came to a tall, black gate which blocked him from getting to the house. He tried shaking the gate, but to no avail. What could he do? He tried shouting, but nobody seemed to hear. He was considering jumping the gate, until-

"Hello?! Who's there?!" came a voice from a receiver. Ethan rushed over and started speaking, but then remembered you had to press the button first.

"Um...hello? I-I'm looking for Lex and Hannah Foster, I-I'm Lex's boyfriend," Ethan started, "Please, you hafta let me in!" he pleaded to the small silver box. Then, he heard a muffled shouting come from within. Hannah.

"Okay. Come on in. I'll open the gate." said the voice. There was a beep, and the gate opened. Ethan sprinted through towards the brown door, as it slowly creeped open before him. He went through, and there, right in front of him, was Lex.

" _Ethan!_ " she cried, racing into his arms. A man with white hair in a brown coat shut the door behind them. "Holy shit Ethan, I thought-we thought-"

"Hey,its okay, I'm here. We're all okay." he sighed. It had felt like months since he'd seen her, even if it had only been a few hours. But there was something else on his mind already. "Wh-where's Hannah?"

"She's just over-"

Lex turned around. Just behind the door frame, Ethan could see his old flannel shirt wrapped around Hannah's waist. Slowly, she leaned forward. She looked... afraid.

"H-hey, Banana, what's wrong? It's me!" Ethan began, holding out his hand. Hannah stepped forward. She was still wearing that had he had given her.

"I thought-I mean-Webby said you were...d-d-"

"W-well, I'm not dead! I promise! I'm not sure how...but im pretty sure I'm alive, OK?"

Hannah smiled. "Okay."

Suddenly, the man, who probably owned this place, Ethan assumed, came back in.

"Sorry to disturb, but before we go any further, I'm going to have to check Ethan here. Make sure that he doesn't need anything."

The three looked at the man. "Hey, look, I appreciate it, but I'm fine, Mr..."

"Professor. Hidgens. And please, I think it's important. Everyone else has gone through it." 

Ethan looked at the professor. The professor squinted back. Did he suspect something?

"Well, if ya put it that way...." 

The professor led Ethan through a hall. Around him were some other people who were staying here. They all looked terrified. There was a woman with a cat on her sweater, a man with a bright tie and long hair, and further along...

"Mr. Houston?" Ethan said suddenly. His old woodshop teacher stood up suddenly. 

"Ethan? We thought you were-" 

"So it was you I saw!" he stepped away from the professor, who raised an eyebrow. "I must have been beaten up pretty bad, yeah." 

"Ethan." Mr. Houston began, "we were there...your heart...it..."

"Honestly, I'm as surprised as you are," interrupted Ethan, "for a while, I thought I was a goner..."

"Yes, well," said the professor, tapping Ethan on the shoulder, "The sooner I can examine your wounds, the better." Ethan was pulled away, and Mr Houston sat back down with his son.

"Alright, let's see here..."

It had been fifteen minutes, and Hidgens was busy studying Ethan's wounds. "Odd...very odd..." 

"What is it?" 

"These wounds you received...they've healed much quicker than normally..." he paused. Hannah and Lex had come in. "Oh, hello. His wounds have all healed, much to my surprise." 

"Well...that's a good thing, isn't it?" asked Lex, gazing at the various test tubes. 

"Yes, but...Ethan, you said you thought you had died. What happened after you blacked out..." 

"Well, I felt like I couldn't move, and that everything hurt. Then I felt a...a gust of wind, and the pain was...less. Then, I saw-" 

Ethan stopped. Through the mirror he could see the man in the suit. His blue eyes glowed, invisible to the others, as he put his finger over his mouth. Ethan felt his heart skip a beat. He was dumb, but he knew what the man meant. 

" I saw the stars. I thought it was weird, so I got up, and I was on the Cineplex floor again. Then I realised it was nighttime, so I looked around the mall to see where everyone had gone. I-I felt like I'd never been hit at all." 

Hidgens had been writing this in his notebook." Hmm..how did you know to come here?"

_Crap_ , Ethan thought." I...met with that lawyer, Gary Goldstein. He said he saw you all point to the house and head down here."

"Weird." said Lex, taking a seat by Ethan. 

"Webby..." mumbled Hannah, holding the empty backpack. "Webby said that you were..."

Ethan stood up and walked over to her. "Hey. I thought I had died too. I guess me and Webby were both wrong, huh banana?" 

"B-but...Webby's never wrong..."

"And I'm never attacked by mad shoppers" he replied, smiling. "Guess there's a first time for everything."

Hannah smiled at this. Then the professor walked over. Something seemed to be bothering him.

"I can't figure out what's causing this." he said, walking over to his worktop. "I'll need to take a blood test." 

Ethan's eyes widened. He remembered what his blood had looked like when he had wiped it earlier. "Hey, waitaminnit Professor..."

"Don't worry Ethan" he said, pulling out a needle from his tight trousers, "it won't hurt a bit." 

A flurry of thoughts rushed through his head. What if he had seen blue blood? What if it was dangerous? What if the man in the suit decided to kill him? What if-

There was a knock at the laboratory door. It opened, and there was a woman with a hat and scarf. Ethan recognised her at once: one of the baristas from Beanie's. 

"Professor, in the living room, we got a problem!" 

The group headed out of the lab and towards the room the others had been in. The people in there were huddled around a man in a white shirt and brown tie on his phone. Then, one of the people came forward. 

" Emma, Bill's got through to her-" the man said

" What's going on?" Hidgens asked. 

"It's Bill's daughter, come on-" 

But something made Ethan not want to move. Lex and Hannah looked at him, but he didn't notice. The man who had come up to them had had a red jumper on, but that wasn't what scared Ethan. It was him. 

_He looked just like the man in the suit._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone, sorry this one's kinda short (and took so long) hopefully I'll be more consistent in uploading from now on! Please let me know what you think!

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first post on this site, please let me know what you think. I plan to upload somewhat regularly, but I hope you enjoy this all the same!


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